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San Antonio Survives Late Surge From Dallas, 92-91

Ian Dougherty — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 04:23:21 +0000

FIRED UP TIM DUNCAN IS FIRED UP!!!

Thursday’s game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Dallas Mavericks came down to the wire, with a Vince Carter three falling short at the buzzer to give the Spurs the win, 92-91. This counted as San Antonio’s 50th win of the year.

Carter had 10 points on the night, but helped piece together a late run at the Spurs lead with Dirk Nowitzki. Carter hit a three in the corner, then Nowitzki hit a midrange jumper to bring the Mavericks within one. Manu Ginobili missed a pull up jumper for the Spurs on the next possession, leading to one final Dallas possession. On that possession, Carter got a decent look at a three, but couldn’t hit it.

For the Spurs, Tim Duncan was the story of the game, as he scored 28 points and grabbed 19 rebounds, carrying the Spurs in the second half after starting off slowly. Gary Neal was the second highest scorer for San Antonio, getting 16 points on 6-13 shooting, including 2-3 from beyond the arc.

The Mavericks had a very balanced attack, with 6 players in double figures. Nowitzki was the highest scorer though, with 21 points on the night, and also getting 11 rebounds. (Sidenote: San Antonio left Dirk open from three on multiple occasions throughout the night. Off dribble penetration, both Boris Diaw and Tiago Splitter got sucked in, leading to a Dirk three. It was a great job by Dallas to recognize this and keep Dirk out on the arc to make San Antonio pay, but it was slightly irritating to watch the Spurs be undisciplined on that aspect. OK, tangent over.)

Both teams were off from the field, as Neither shot above 45% from the field. It was a very physical, defensive matchup for the most part, with most of the scoring happening inside.

The next game for the Spurs is against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday, March 16th, at 8:30 PM.

Game Notes

We should really take another moment to sit an appreciate Tim Duncan. This type of dominant performance from him is going the way of the dodo bird with his age, but every once in a while he’ll have a throwback game and do something absolutely incredible. Tonight, after going only 3-9 from the field in the first half (missing some shots right at the rim), Duncan had one of those performances. In the second half he went 8-9 from the field (including a hilarious tip-in off of a pass that had him giggling down the floor), and carried the Spurs to a win, He dominated in the post against a Mavericks team that played some pretty good defense all the way through the game. He was visibly fired up through the second half, refusing to go down. It was as if it were 2003 all over again. There was no Parker tonight, Manu was off (again), so Timmy stepped up in a big way.

For as much grief as Spurs fans put him through (myself included), Gary Neal had a pretty great game against Dallas. They were chasing all of the Spurs shooters off of the three point line, so Neal went to work off the dribble, getting into the painted area fairly often. He still had a few plays that made you groan, but on a night when everyone else was having a bad night, he came up big. And in the fourth quarter, he had two huge threes that briefly made you forget the bad times, and made you love him again. Hopefully this kind of Gary can stick around; when he’s on, he’s fun to watch.

I want to take a quick second to commend Rick Carlisle and the Dallas Mavericks on their defensive performance. Inside, they were very physical and didn’t let San Antonio into the paint easily. Outside, they blanketed every shooter the Spurs put out, holding San Antonio to only ATTEMPTING 13 threes on the night. Of those 13, San Antonio only made 5. Cutting out three point shooting is a hard thing to do against San Antonio, and doing so puts you in a very good chance to beat them. And, had Tim Duncan not gone supernova in the second half, that probably would have happened.

A little wrinkle that was fun to watch from San Antonio was the use of the high-low in the post. The big men that get a lot of minutes for the Spurs: Duncan, Diaw, and Splitter are all very good passers, and those attributes were put to use more tonight than usual. It was fun to see some lobs over the defense for a couple shots close to the rim, and it was pretty effective as well.

Manu Ginobili was again not himself, only scoring 7 points on 2-9 shooting. He did manage to still be a playmaker, racking up 9 assists, and being the go-to-guy late in the shot clock. Late in the game however, he was the person the Spurs went to late, but he left the door open for Dallas as he couldn’t hit a jumper in the paint. I can’t be too mad at the result because it was a good shot that just didn’t fall, but I would have rather had the game be in the hands of a Tim Duncan, or a Gary Neal though. I still maintain that Manu can be helpful, but it’s clear that his days as a main scorer are over. On some nights he will flash back to the old Manu, but for the most part he will not be providing the same shot-making ability he has in the past, and that’s something to look for in the future.

The last shot by Dallas was something that played into the Spurs favor a bit. Vince Carter shot that from a range on the floor where he is averaging .459 from, so he definitely got to a spot he’s comfortable at, which is what you want on your last shot. But, he was being guarded by Tiago Splitter after he switched because of a pick-and-roll with Dirk. Personally, if I were the Mavericks, I would have preferred trying to go by Splitter, who was a little off-balance on the play (Actually, when isn’t Tiago Splitter off-balance? He’s so awkward athletically.). But, the shot they got wasn’t a bad one, and Spurs fans are fortunate it didn’t fall.

Game Preview: San Antonio Spurs (49-16) vs Dallas Mavericks (30-33)

Michael Rehome — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 17:31:20 +0000

Dec 30, 2012; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks shooting guard Vince Carter (25) and center Chris Kaman (35) guards San Antonio Spurs power forward Tim Duncan (21) during the first quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Tonight the San Antonio Spurs return home after the trip to Minnesota to host their I-35 rival the Dallas Mavericks. Couple of things here that the Spurs are looking for. One is to notch another 50 win season, I believe this will be their 14th straight and also to sweep the season series with the Mavericks.

The last time these two teams met was back in January where the Spurs won 113 to 107. In that game DeJuan Blair and Gary Neal paced the bench with a combined 40 points. Blair added 22 points and 4 rebounds while Neal pitched in with 18 (2-of-3 beyond the arc). Tony Parker (still out with an injury) paced San Antonio with a double-double, 23 points and 10 assists.

San Antonio’s last game against the Timberwolves was one that didn’t really phase the team at all. We were without a few guys, TP, TD, and High Fly Kawhi. Though that is not any excuse for us to use, we just could not hit any shots and the Timberwolves, well hit everything. That is done and over with and now we turn our attentions to the Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks.

As for the Dallas Mavericks, they are coming off of a 115 to 108 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday, March 12th. Vince Carter scored a team high 23 points, this coming off of the bench.

Earlier today Jeff McDonald from the San Antonio Express News sent out this tweet:

Tim Duncan and Kawhi Leonard are available for tonight’s game against Dallas. Go ahead and pencil them into the Spurs’ starting five.

— Jeff McDonald (@JMcDonald_SAEN) March 14, 2013

Another note, this game will be televised Nationally on TNT at 7:00 PM CST (Spurs Time). With that said, let’s look at the starting five as well as who has the edge! Let’s Go!

Point Guards
Corey Joseph (SAS) vs Mike James (DAL)

This will be the first time that Joseph will be suiting up against the Dallas Mavericks this season as he was on assignment for the pass three games these two have met up. In his last outing against Minnesota, Joseph scored 15 points in 25 minutes. Mike James is coming off of a 13 point performance against Milwaukee. This should be an average match-up but I look for Joseph to use his youth against the elder in James.

Edge: San Antonio

Shooting Guards
Danny Green (SAS) vs O.J. Mayo (DAL)

One of the match-ups that I want to see. Mayo is a scorer. He was like this when he was in college and in the NBA it is no different. He looks to score before finding teammates. Danny Green on the other hand is shooting the ball more and also being more aggressive. He needs to take care of the ball against Mayo as he does have some quick hands and will rip it away from you if you are not prepared. I look for Green to have a good outing against Mayo.

Edge: San Antonio

Small Forwards
Kawhi Leonard (SAS) vs Jae Crowder (DAL)

Leonard is coming off of sitting out one game with soreness in his left knee. It had to be because of what he did against the Okahoma City and Kendrick Perkins on Monday. As you saw above, he is active and will be in the starting lineup tonight against the Mavericks. He will have a huge impact on this game. Crowder is a physical player and will look to be against Leonard who is the Spurs top defender.

Edge: San Antonio

Power Forwards
Tim Duncan (SAS) vs Dirk Nowitzki (DAL)

Jan 25, 2013; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) shoots against the San Antonio Spurs at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Duncan also didn’t make the trip to Minnesota on Tuesday. He also will be active and in the starting lineup being pitted against Dirk Nowitzki. Duncan has looked to of gotten his step back from previous seasons as he is in fact playing one of if not the best he has in a few season. We all know that Dirk Nowitzki is Dallas’ go to guy, he is their best player and he can score. He is seven foot and can shoot the three. Duncan will look to keep him honest on the outside and possibly get him to drive in where he can get some help from Splitter and others.

Edge: Even

Centers
Tiago Splitter (SAS) vs Chris Kaman (DAL)

Splitter is growing and becoming the type of player that Spurs fans were hoping for. He can finish around the rim and does a good job on the defensive end. I know I give him a hard time for not flushing it but he is doing what he does for a reason. Shield off the defender with the rim so that he can’t block his shots. Kaman is a physical player down low and I look to see some banging down there between these two. Splitter will have to hold his own down on the block and not let Kaman push him around.

Edge: Even

Bench

As we have seen all year long, San Antonio bench is what sparks the team and can score within seconds. Manu Ginobili who had a horrible night shooting against the Timberwolves (2-of-10 shooting) will look to improve on that game. Patty Mills, Stephen Jackson, and Boris Diaw will also look to put their stamp on this game. Mills has been shooting the ball really well and I can see him to continue his streak tonight. Vince Carter is one to watch coming off of the Mavericks bench. Though he is one of the older players on the team, Carter showed against the Bucks that he can score still.

Edge: San Antonio

Broadcast Information
Television: TNT
Time: 7:00 PM CST (Spurs Time)
Radio: 1200 WOAI (Local)